1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a rotation support mechanism for supporting an arm section of a housing of, for example, a laser device for performing medical care such as laser treatment or the like, such that the arm section is inclinable and rotatable about a rotation shaft as a rotation center, and a laser device including such a rotation support mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, a laser device for performing medical care such as laser treatment or the like includes a flexible and lengthy lightguide path such as an optical fiber or the like for guiding laser light from a housing to a medical care tool (hand piece) provided at a tip of the lightguide path.
When such a hand piece-type tool attached to the tip of such a flexible and lengthy lightguide path is used, there is a problem that a load by the elasticity or weight of the lengthy lightguide path acts on the tool and this imposes a load on a user, and thus makes it difficult to perform a precise work or a long-time work.
In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a laser device including a support member for supporting a lengthy lightguide section such as a lightguide laser fiber or the like. The support member includes a bending section pivotable by an external force acting on the lightguide section. It is described that this structure allows the lightguide section to be brought to an area for treatment with a small force for operating a treating tool attached to a tip of the lightguide section.
However, in order to obtain a region in which the treating tool attached to the tip is usable, the lengthy lightguide path needs to be extended by a prescribed length from a portion thereof which is supported by the support member as described in Patent Document 1. With the structure described in Patent Document 1, the load acting on the tool due to the elasticity or weight of the lengthy lightguide path of the portion extended from the support member is not sufficiently alleviated.
There is also a case where the support member having a bent section is used as the arm section and a tool to be used is attached to a tip of the arm section, instead of the tip of the lengthy lightguide path. Even in such a case, the weight of the arm section acts on the tool, and thus a sufficient operability cannot be provided by merely having the bent section.